Learning to Sift:
Reflections on Ten Years of Engaging with the Economics Discourse

by Jordan van Rijn

Abstract: In the decade since the Universal House of Justice wrote its 24 July 2013 message regarding the activities and direction of the Association for Bahá’í Studies, several collaborators have experimented with various approaches to engagement with the discourse on economics. These efforts have included the collective reading of, and reflection on, various textbooks and articles around a particular theme; the development of a heuristic to help participants acquire the collective capacity to read a discourse; the writing of a document to facilitate seminars intended to help undergraduates studying economics understand “Economics 101” principles in light of the Bahá’í conceptual framework; and the initial examination of experimental methodologies in the economics discipline. A number of preliminary insights have emerged from these activities. This paper documents the experience of this collaborative group, and highlights key areas of learning that may be of assistance to others engaged in similar processes.